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Sunday, November 5, 2017

Interview with the Candidate: Rolando Lavarro

Jersey City elections are right around the corner and I wanted to offer the opportunity to get to know the candidates a little better and let people learn more about who's running to represent them.

These interviews are available to any candidate running in Jersey City and are not indicative of an endorsement or political support. If you're interested in learning more about any of the candidate's policies, please click on the links to read more.

Read on to learn more about Rolando Lavarro, running for Council At-Large, 1B with Team Fulop.


What are some of the changes you've seen in Jersey City in the time that you've lived here? What changes would you like to see in the next four years?
Jersey City has changed tremendously since I was a kid.  It seems almost unbelievable now, but Downtown used to be a pretty rough area. Greenville, where I grew up, was a safe and thriving middle class neighborhood. Journal Square was once a bustling transportation hub surrounded by grand movie houses and high-end shopping.

Recently, we've definitely seen some positive changes happening all over town.  The development boom Downtown we've been experiencing over the last decade or two is now spreading into the other parts of the city.  Journal Square is experiencing a renaissance with a lot of new buildings and small businesses returning there.  Police recruitment is up, more diverse than ever, and crime is down in the city's south side.  Plus the new City Hall Annex coming to the MLK light rail hub should bring a steady flow of cash into the neighborhood as well.

I'd like to see continued growth in every corner of the city, along with plenty of affordable housing opportunities and good paying jobs.  We recently regained local control of our public schools, so I'd love to see significant improvements on the education front as well.

Jersey City prides itself on being a city where small businesses can thrive, but others say the rising rents and lack of development in areas outside of downtown make it difficult. What is the small business community around you like? How do you plan to change, enhance, and/or support that community? 
First, I would dispute the notion that there is a lack of development outside of downtown.  Downtown development continues to boom, but it is undeniable that we are seeing development in other parts of the city.  It's just a matter of time before retail businesses and services are established in these areas to serve the growing populations in Journal Square, Bergen-Lafayette, the MLK Hub and Greenville/West Side.

With that being said, as a Council-At-Large, the small business community for me is the entire City.  The type of businesses varies from one neighborhood to the next and from one Special Improvement Districts (SID) to another.  There are plenty of long-established businesses on Central Avenue, with new ones popping up on Central and Palisades including restaurants, cafes and galleries.  

While the Jackson Hill SID has some challenges, I think the opening of the City Hall Annex and the hundreds of employees in the area will spur small business development in and around the MLK Hub.  The area is growing in part because of smart and determined local small businesses; and the City can do more to align our goals and boost investment in small businesses along MLK Drive.  

West Side is lined up with storefronts serving diverse ethnic communities.  At the center of small business in Journal Square is India Square.  Immigrant communities have been the backbone of those two business districts for some time now.

In the past four years, the City has increased efforts to support the growth of our local economy.  Through the Office of Small Business Services - First Stop to Open Shop — we provide our diverse local businesses with free one on one counseling to startups/entrepreneurs to establish their business, and we support existing businesses with services like marketing, or how to go through permitting and licensing.  There are three small business loans from microloan of $1000 to SBA backed loan of $250,000 that local businesses can access and apply for. There are free business development workshops on business plan writing, digital marketing to taxes and public speaking.
We can increase the presence and scope of service by OSBS so it can be felt more prominently in all neighborhoods throughout the City.  We need to expand the SHOP JC BUY LOCAL program and support our local economy.

What are your favorite restaurants in your neighborhood? In Jersey City?
In no particular order, my favorite restaurants in my neighborhood of Greenville-West Side are: Vinnie's III, Miss America Diner, Laico’s, and any Filipino restaurant along West Side and Mallory Avenue. In the rest of Jersey City, I frequent Renato’s, Gino’s, Noodle Fan, Latham House, Kraverie, Shanghai Best, Sawadee, Komegashi, Liberty House.  I also like Razza, Two Boots, Helen's Pizza.  (Do you see a trend here?)  I also love a good steak -- Edwards.  I have a tough time answering this question -- to pick a favorite restaurant -- with the variety of restaurants we have in Jersey City.

What is your favorite community event and why?
Having a seven year old, I like family-friendly events.  There's the July 4th Freedom Fireworks with the carnival and kids’ attractions leading to the fireworks display in the midst of Jersey City's jewel of Liberty State Park.  My daughter does ballet with Nimbus Dance Works, so I always look forward to their annual production of the Nutcracker.  

As a Filipino-American, I've been celebrating the Filipino culture at the Philippine American Friendship parade/festival and the Santacruzan celebration since I was in high school. The Philippine Independence Day Parade and Festival is one of the few events along West Side Avenue.  Also, I've taken my daughter to Navratri in Journal Square.  While it's very late at night, I wanted her to experience it as it truly is a special event. It truly is one of Jersey City's hidden gems.

And something for the adults, ArtHouse Production's Snowball is always creative, festive, and brings people together in support of our arts community.  Again, this is another challenging question - there are so many great events in Jersey City.

What kind of food would you like to see in Jersey that you don't see a lot of currently?
My wife says she wants to see Trader Joe's, and I know downtown residents would like to see that or a Whole Foods.   I would like downtown to maintain a diverse mix of local businesses.  That's one of the main reasons why the council passed anti-chain store legislation with exceptions for supermarkets.

Greenville is something of a food desert and the area is looking forward to the ShopRite coming as part of the New Jersey City University expansion.  People are looking for restaurant and grocery options, particularly in the South Side, Greenville, and Bergen-Lafayette sections.

To learn more about about all of the Council At-Large Candidates, read The Jersey Journal's Council At-Large Interviews.

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